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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA, less than 24 hours after he hit Phoenix Suns centre Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul and ejection.
The league announced the penalty handed down by operations chief Joe Dumars and said the suspension begins immediately. It’s already Green’s second suspension this season.
“He will be required to meet certain league and team conditions before he returns to play,” the league said on Wednesday.
The NBA noted that “this outcome takes into account Green’s repeated history of unsportsmanlike acts.”
Green was ejected for the 18th time in his career, most among active NBA players.
Green and Nurkic were battling for position early in the third quarter when the two got tangled. The Golden State forward appeared to slightly lose his balance, but then inexplicably wheeled around and smacked Nurkic in the face.
Nurkic immediately crumpled to the ground but eventually got up and stayed in the game. The referees reviewed the play before calling Green for a Flagrant 2 foul, which causes an automatic ejection.
“That had nothing to do with basketball,” Nurkic said.
“I’m just out there trying to play basketball.”
It’s been less than a month since Green was suspended for five games by the NBA for putting the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert into a headlock during an altercation in November.
There is little precedent for an indefinite suspension. In 2010, then-Commissioner David Stern suspended Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas indefinitely for bringing firearms into the team locker room.
That was a precursor to what became a 50-game suspension for Arenas, after Stern said “his ongoing conduct … led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game.”
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid scored 30 of his 41 points in the first half as Philadelphia beat Detroit 129-111 to inflict more misery on the Pistons who encountered their 21st straight loss.
Detroit matched the longest streak in franchise history without a win, set at the end of the 1979-80 season and start of 1980-81. It is the sixth-longest single-season losing streak in the NBA.
Only the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers (both lost 26 straight), along with the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies, the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets and the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats (all lost 23 in a row) have lost more games in a row in a season.
Philadelphia hold the overall mark of 28, set at the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.
Detroit dropped to 2-22, with the teams set to meet again Friday night in Philadelphia. Bojan Bogdanovic led the Pistons with 33 points, and Cade Cunningham had 21.
Former Piston Tobias Harris added 21 points for Philadelphia and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 17. The 76ers outrebounded Detroit 52-35.
The 76ers led 70-56 at the half and pushed the margin to 18 in the first four minutes of the third. Detroit, playing a small-ball lineup with starting centre Jalen Duren injured, struggled to keep Philadelphia off the boards.
Detroit missed all seven 3-pointers in the quarter and had starting power forward Isaiah Stewart ejected for a flagrant-2 foul on Patrick Beverley. The 76ers led 104-80 at period’s end and by 30 in the fourth.
Brandon Ingram scored a season-high 40 points to lead the short-handed New Orleans to a 141-122 rout of the Washington Wizards.
Trey Murphy III added six 3-pointers and 27 points as the Pelicans enjoyed their best offensive showing of the season.
CJ McCollum had 22 points and Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 18 rebounds. Zion Williamson sat out because of a sprained ankle.
Kyle Kuzma scored 27 points for Washington. The Wizards lost for the 20th time in 23 games, the fastest the team has reached that loss total since the 2012-13 season.
In Miami, Duncan Robinson scored 23 points as the Heat beat Charlotte 115-104.
Lowry was perfect shooting – 5 for 5 from the floor, 4 for 4 of those on 3-pointers and 3 for 3 from the line. Jimmy Butler had 15 points and 10 assists. Terry Rozier scored 28 points for Charlotte.
© AAP
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